I give this book a three star rating because there are components of the book that I really like while at the same time having aspects that can be improved. One reason why I like the book is because it provides a clear understanding of the three types of rocks as well as minerals, gemstones, and fossils. The one thing that I do not like deals with the field guide section where children can read all about the different types of minerals, rocks, or gemstones. In this section, the illustrator takes a picture of the specific object being identified and blows it up and sticks a few boxes of information over top of it. I think that this is very distracting. If they wanted to show what the grains look like or other identifying features they could have chosen to do a blow up of a piece of the rock so that it was only a part of the page. Other than that the information was well written and useful. The big idea of this book is to give children a reference guide for classifying different types of rocks and minerals they may pick up outside and tells them how they formed. ( )

This book is like a pocket book full of everything one would want to know about rocks and minerals. This book is a guide to take with you when you go exploring and looking for rocks and minerals. I enjoy how the book is organized, four sections... first section "The World of Rocks and Minerals" which is an introduction to geology and mineralogy. Second section "How to Look at Rocks and Minerals" gives you information on how to begin identyigying rocks and minerals. Third section "The Field Guide" give you detalied descriptions and photograhs of the important rocks and minerals. Fourth section " The Reference Section" there is a glossary, list of books, organizations, Web sites, etc... to pursue more infomration on rocks and minerals. This guide book is easy to follow, not so much of a read from cover to cover but more of a guide that is filled with everything to know about rocks and minerals. The photographs are high quality and the text is very informative and easy to read and follow. A must for anyone who has any of the slightest interest in rocks and minerals. The book is easy to follow but remains professional at the same time. Book offers a lot of knowledge and information.
Ages 7 and up. ( )

Ricciuti, E.R. (1998). Rocks and Minerals. New York: Scholastic.

I really enjoyed the organization of this nonfiction book and would recommend it to many elementary students doing research. The beginning of the book provides basic information like: What is a geologist? What is a mineral? and How to identify sedimentary rock. After the basic information is provided, The book devotes a two-page spread to an individual rock or mineral. For each rock or mineral, the author provides a large photo and a one paragraph explanation of the rock. Also provided on the page are the properties, colors, environments of the rock. Included at the back of the book is a glossary, table of minerals, resources, and index. Overall, a very thorough book. ( )